Cartoon hero Tintin has joined that select group of individuals - including European royals, the Pope and Mozart - to be featured on euro coins.

The honour of his very own silver euro coin in his native Belgium marks his 75th birthday.

The commemorative 10-euro coins feature Tintin with his dog Snowy on one side, and a map of Europe on the other.

A Royal Belgian Mint spokesman said the demand for the 50,000 Tintin coins, on sale for 31 euros each, was very high.

Tintin first appeared in Le Vingtieme Siecle newspaper on 10 January 1929, and has sold millions of copies since.

His 23 adventures, created by designer Herge, have been translated into some 50 languages
as Tintin's popularity has spanned generations and national borders.

The late French President Charles De Gaulle once said that "deep down, my only international rival is Tintin".

Ceremony

The minting of Tintin's commemorative coins started on Thursday with a small ceremony at the Royal Belgian Mint in Brussels.

Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders attended the ceremony.

"It is important to celebrate Tintin and Herge not only in Belgium, but all over the world," he said.

Herge died in March 1983 at the age of 75.

Tintin coins can be ordered on the Royal Belgium Mint's website or by post, and they will be posted to fans in February.

They are legal tender in Belgium only.

Belgium issues a commemorative coin each year - previous themes have included the country's north-south railway junction and the writer Georges Simenon, who created the detective fiction series Le Commissaire Maigret.